


My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies

by Bablefishmouse



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Close to Canon, F/F, ep1 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6198787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bablefishmouse/pseuds/Bablefishmouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a universe where anything your soulmate doodles on their hands and arms could turn up on yours, Clary Fray has always had peculiar geometric marks on her arms. Isabelle Lightwood, on the other hand, has always had flower patterns, and no runes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> This sticks very close to the 1st episode canon, including borrowing snippets of dialogue, so don't say I didn't warn you.  
> Soulmate AU inspired by: http://princess-tuna.tumblr.com/post/140598950943/let-gavin-free-soulmate-au-where-when-you-write
> 
> Title is from Queen's "The Show must go on"

The phenomena of soulmates had been well documented, if mis-named, over the years. The transference of drawings, tattoos and other scribbles from the hand and arm of one person would appear on another, and that person would be their soulmate.

 

It wasn’t that simple in reality. Even with this potential not everyone wrote on their hands at all, and even among strong soul-links, the doodle didn’t always appear. The area of the arm that could transfer changed from case to case as well, although there was said to be a rough correlation between the strength of the bond, and how far up the arm the transference zone was. But even among the rare cases where the entire arm was a potential transference zone, the two or more linked people weren’t always romantically compatible.

 

Clary Fray had always been curious about the patterns that would appear on her palm from time to time, and, when she was slightly older, on her arm. They were almost always geometric, and, by the age of six, she had thought of them as being patterns. That surely meant that her soulmate was an artistic person just like her! She didn’t get why her mother was so sad whenever she caught sight of them. Just cause Clary’s dad was dead didn’t mean that she couldn’t be happy at the potential for her partner. It wasn’t fair.

 

Isabelle Lightwood loved the swirls and flowers that used to appear on her arm. Occasionally they’d even twirl around a rune she had on there, never touching it, but embellishing it, making it part of her rather than the tool that Alex viewed them as. Her parents, and later Hodge, tutted at her whenever a new pattern appeared, even later, when more detailed trees began to emerge. Alex was never as rotten, even though he never got any transference at all.

 

Later Izzy understood why. There were never any rune marks. She had no double skill rune, or any other, even the most basic protective marks. Her soulmate wasn’t a shadowhunter. There was no other explanation. Her soulmate was a mundane. After all, downworlders didn’t have transference. It wouldn’t have mattered either way. Shadowhunters could never be with mundanes, they could never bring them into the lifestyle, they could never tell them the truth. It didn’t matter who her soulmate was, by the age of thirteen, Izzy already knew she could never be with them.

 

By the age of fourteen Clary had worked out that they weren’t geometrical shapes that appeared, frequently by now, on her arm, it was a language. Every day for two months after school she hauled herself to the library with Simon searching the language section for something that matched. But none of them did. Not Greek, not Hebrew, not Japanese, not Korean, not Mandarin, not even dead languages like the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, or Babylonian. The symbols were almost certainly characters from a language, but they from any listed in any of the books Clary could reach, or even on Wikipedia.  If the language existed, it had never been formally written down. Maybe, Clary supposed, her soulmate was an author, who’d invented their own language. Simon liked the idea, the characters looked like they belonged in a high fantasy, and then Clary’s soulmate might also like D+D. Then they’d be perfect for both of them! Neither of them pointed out the flaw that the language would have had to have been invented by age six. Maybe Clary’s soulmate was older, it did happen.

 

On the day Clary’s world went to hell, her eighteenth birthday, there were even more of the small patterns than usual. They appeared intermittently, never all at once, even as they rode the van towards Pandemonium a new one appeared on her left arm, then disappeared a moment later.

 

Then Pandemonium happened. If Clary hadn’t been so freaked out about the entire thing she could have appreciated the appropriateness of the name. As it was she had never been so glad to get home and spill everything to her mother.

 

“And everything just kept going nuts-these tentacles came out the bodybuilder’s face and -” Clary asked the only sensible conclusion, “I was drugged right?”

  
“What did the markings on the blonde boy look like?” Jocelynn Fray asked her daughter astonishing her into silence.

 

“Like these do,” Clary said, rolling up her sleeves, revealing virtually unmarked skin. “Not exactly but closer than anything else I’ve ever seen.” She sat down in shock. “You don’t think he’s my soulmate do you? Cause he was rash and rude and arrogant and didn’t seem to have an artistic bone in his body, and what if he’s in some sort of cult? Are these the markings from some sort of cult? Is my soulmate from a cult? A murder cult?”

 

Jocelynn pulled her stele from her back pocket and drew a rune on her left arm. “Clary, did they look like this?”

 

“Mom, what the?” Clary pulled backwards. She’d known what the markings were all this time. But the - the symbol had just come out of nowhere. Her Mum was one of them? She’d been keeping secret from her .

  
“Everything you’ve seen has a meaning and an explanation, and I have a good reason for not explaining this sooner. I’ve been dreading this conversation since the day you were born, and known it was inevitable since the first time one of those damn runes showed up.”

 

“What is going on?” Clary asked her mother desperately. “Am- Am I going insane?” Nothing made sense.

 

“No Clary, you’re not. But the protections are wearing off, and you deserve the chance to look for whoever you’re linked to. It’s time I told you the truth.” Jocelynn looked at her daughter’s arms. “More than time really.”

 

“Mom, what do you mean? Protections this is scaring the hell out of me?” Clary was torn between running away from her mother and into her arms.

 

“I know, and that’s why I’ve put this off for longer than I should.”

 

Dot ran into the room and yelled for them to look out the window, catching sight of one of the symbols on Clary’s arms in the process. She winced. “They’ve found you, both of you. Magnus called. You need to go, now.”

 

“Dot, please it’s time.” Jocelynn said, grabbing a note. “Clary, please, I got a very powerful person very angry a long time ago and now he not only knows I’m alive, but that I have you. But that’s all he knows about you, he doesn’t know about your soulmate. So please, go with Dot.”

 

“No. Why? What did you do?”

 

“I hid something from him and his followers.” Jocelynn said,

 

“What? Can’t we just call the police?”

 

“Call Luke,” Jocelynn pressed the note into Clary’s hand, glancing at her own, markless arms. “He’s the only policeman you can trust. Here.” She fastened the pendant around Clary’s neck. “Wear this always. Think of me.”

 

“Mom! This is not the time for more birthday gifts. What the hell is happening?” Clary turned back towards her, frightened and angry.

 

“Only if you need it.” Dot passed Jocelynn a large green glowing bottle.

 

“Trust your instincts.” Jocelynn clutched her daughter's arm, trying to convey all her love. “You are more powerful than you know. Please don’t go looking for your soulmate. Make sure you’re alright first. Please.”

 

“Mom, what?” Clary asked as Dot’s hand started glowing blue. Then two windows swung open and glowed purple the air swirling in between into an opaque violet fog.

 

“Everything I’ve done is because I love you more than words. No go! Luke will explain everything. He’s the only one you can trust, trust no-one else. Not even your soulmate.” Jocelynn clutched at her daughter. “Please, now where’s Luke now?”

“At the police station?” Clary did not understand what was going on. Why was her mom saying goodbye? What did this sound like a goodbye. “Mom-”  


“Remember I love you.” Jocelynn pushed her daughter into the portal and turned around to face the attackers.

 

Clary fell through the portal and onto the cold stone with a hard thump. What was going on? Where was she? She turned around, spotting the flag, and the noticeboards. Oh. Police station. Luke!

 

Captain Vergas walked up the stairs. Clary greeted her.

 

“Clary, it’s 2am in the morning, what are you doing here so late? Are you okay?” The Captain said, gesturing to Clary’s arms that now had a large symbol on them.

 

“Oh, erm” Clary panicked for a moment. “That’s just transference. And Luke said he’d drive me home if he was still here. Is he?”

  
“Well that’s good. He still doesn’t trust those Cabbies yet huh?” The Captain said with a smile. “He’s in the middle of an interview, it could take some time.” 

Clary pulled her sleeves down frantically and muttered something about waiting in the cafeteria before trying to disappear in the right direction. Clearly the Captain wasn’t fooled as she called after her.

 

“You’re not in any kind of trouble are you? Guy trouble, Girl trouble anything like that? I’ve never seen you so cagey about the transference before?”

 

“Huh,” Clary said, “Guy trouble’s not a bad way of putting it yeah.” It was a bad way of putting it. But it was an out. Taking the cue, Clary moved out of sight of the Captain, and waited  until she left. Then she went looking for Luke.

 

The scene she observed only added to the questions. What the hell was the mortal cup? Who were the circle? And did Luke really care for them so little?. She knew he didn’t have a soulmate, but still she’d thought he was family!

 

She had to get out of there. If she couldn’t trust Luke then who could she possibly trust? Her soulmate sprung to mind, but she had no idea who that was, and no way, supposedly perfect match or not, was Clary trusting anyone blindly tonight.

 

SIMON! Of Course. Simon was family. She’d never not been able to count on Simon, not when it mattered anyhow. But then she’d thought the same of Luke. Dot?

 

Clary ran out into the rain, and back towards her home. Maybe her Mom would still be there? Maybe there was still hope.

 

The inside of her apartment was a wreck, the furniture scattered and destroyed throughout the apartment, and bloodstains wherever Clary looked. Her mom had to be okay, she had to.

 

“MOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!” She yelled sinking to the floor, tears streaming down her face. “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!” Clary cried for a second time sinking into disappear as she looked around the empty, wrecked apartment. Then everything became that little bit clearer. She picked up the axe that had been out for an art project, and searched for a pen.

 

Rolling up her sleeve once more she wrote, in large clear letters “HELP ME!” On her left arm.

Thunder rolled and Clary jumped, only to realize it was just the storm. Slipping the pen into her pocket she brandished the axe and began to search the rest of the apartment.

 

Dot was in the living room. Clary wasn’t sure she’d been more glad to see someone in her life. The axe slipped from her grip.

 

“They took Jocelynn.” Dot said simply.

 

“Who took her?”

 

“Rogue shadowhunters searching for the mortal cup.” Dot said, like that should mean something to Clary. Why was that all over the place? What the hell was the mortal cup?

 

“What the hell are you talking about?”

 

Dot started walking towards her, blabbering about a golden chalice-like cup and if Clary had ever seen it. Of course she hadn’t she just wanted her mum. Of course she couldn’t think. Why couldn’t Dot just see that! Someone had kidnapped her mother.

 

“You know more than you think you do Clary Fray.” The not-Dot opened her mouth and pincers spilled out towards Clary who stabbed it with the pen automatically.

 

The creature fell to the ground writhing as it changed form into a blue-green demon. It lept at her, hitting the table and missing. Then it lunged forward and caught her neck, pressing her back against the wall.

 

This was it. Clary was going to die, with her mom kidnapped, Luke a traitor, Simon thinking she was crazy, killed by a demon. Maybe she was crazy. She could feel its breath as it loomed over her to take the killing shot.

 

Clary heard a loud screech. It took her a moment to work out it wasn’t hers. The demon had a glowing blade sticking through its stomach.

 

It disintegrated into flakes of flesh revealing the arrogant blonde boy she still hoped wasn’t her soulmate from earlier.

 

“What? No thank-you for saving your life?” He quipped.

 

Clary glanced down at his arm. No “Help me”. Not him, or no transference then.

 

“Careful,” He stepped closer. “That demon got a piece of you.”

 

“Demon. Now those exist.” It somehow wasn’t that surprising to Clary after the day she’d had.

“I’d thought it was Dot.”  


“Nope, that disgusting thing was a ravener Demon,” The guy continued to move her head about, checking this was and that for injury. “Shapeshifter.”

 

Clary could feel herself going fuzzy, and the world began to start spinning. “You’re just saying wor- How’d you find-” Clary fainted dead away as the blonde guy said “Demon Venom.”

 

Clary shot up with a start after a dream about her mother only to hit someone in the face.

 

“Ow.” The girl said.

 

“Wait,” Clary backed up on the bed scrambling away from the girl. “I don’t know you, what-”

 

“I’m Isabelle ,” She said, “And you’re the artist.”

 

“The artist?”

 

Isabelle held out her left arm were, written in clear black handwriting, was: “Help me”. Clary’s handwriting. Her soulmate. Oh.

 

Clary looked at Isobel then, looked at her properly. Her long black hair,  brown eyes, and the most on fleek makeup job that Clary had ever seen. Oh she hoped this was real. And non-platonic.

 

“I’ve never been so curious about a mundane. I assume you are an artist right? With the flowers and the leaf patterns and so on?”  


“Yeah I’m an artist.” Clary said distracted, “Got into art school and everything.” Clary looked around frantically, “I’m sorry but what’s going on?”

 

Isabelle shook her head. “You really don’t know much do you? I’ll catch you up, I promise.” She squeezed Clary’s hand.

“All I know is that some psychos have taken my mother and now you’ve taken me. I don’t even know that you’re my real soulmate. You could have written that while I was under. Who knows how long it’s been.”

 

“It’s real.” Isobel insisted, picking up a pen and drawing a simple circle just below her left elbow. The circle phased into being on Clary’s arm a moment later.

 

“Oh.” Clary let out a breath. That was real at least then.

 

“And by taken, I assume you mean saved your life?” Isobel said earnestly, pulling forward a little. Not enough to be in Clary’s personal space, but closer than a stranger would typically get.

 

The two guys from the club walked in, the black-haired one talking. “The mundane shouldn’t even be here, my sister’s soulmate or not.”

 

“She’d not a mundane Alec.” The blonde guy said defensively as Clary said:

  
“Where is here exactly?”

 

“How do you know that Jace?” Alex said.

 

“Because the seraph blade lit up when she touched it, she’s got a rune on her and she’s fine, and she’s Izzy’s soulmate.”

 

Jace sighed and moved in front of Isabelle. “Hey, I’m Jace Wayland, you’ve just met Isabelle Lightwood and this is her brother Alec. Welcome to the family.”

 

“Am I the only one who finds this a bit premature? The whole situation is very usual.”

 

“You find everything unusual Alec.” Jace responded at the same time Isabelle said:   
“Shut-up Alec.”

 

“Erm, Hi, I’m Clary Fray,” Clary began to introduce herself before Isabelle laid her hand on her arm, stopping her.

 

“We know,”

 

Well, Clary guessed she’d research her soulmate too if she had had the time.

 

“I’m going to have to report this to the Clave you know,” Alec said, “Both bits of this.”

 

“Just dial it down will you!” Jace yelled at him.

 

“My brother doesn’t have a dial,” Isabelle said with a smirk in Clary’s direction. “I love you Alec, but you have a switch that’s always on.”

 

“Love you too,” Alec said,”but this- this is the sort of thing the Clave ought to know.”

 

“Just, give me a minute.” Jace said.

 

Isabelle frowned. “I’ll talk to her.”

  
“I think it’s better coming from me.” Jace argued.

 

“I’m still here.” Clary pointed out. “Stop arguing over my head.”

 

“Please?” Jace said, “Come on, I never say that.”

 

“Who would you prefer?” Isabelle turned to Clary.

 

“All of you stay.” She decided. “You,” She pointed at Alec, “Explain what the problem is,”

“You,” she pointed at Jace “Stay out of my space and do your thing, and you,” She looked at Isabelle, “Explain please.”

 

“There’s no such thing as new shadowhunters.” Alec said simply. “The clave, the authorities,” he added grudgingly, “need to know. This isn’t some minor mission we screwed up on. Although that mission we screwed up was not so minor, we still don’t-

 

“Alec.” Isabelle and Jace said at once.

 

“Fine.” Alec grumbled.

 

Isabelle turned back fully towards Clary. She leant forward so she was nearly touching Clary’s right collar bone. “Well your wound is completely healed.”

 

“What?” Clary glanced down confused. “I’m magically healed. Am I supposed to believe that you, gorgeous as you are, have magical powers?”

 

Isabelle laughed, “That’s Warlocks, we’re shadowhunters.” She caught Clary’s bewildered glance and explained about downworlders. Clary’s eyes glazed over. “Put simply,” Isabelle rested her hand on Clary’s shoulder. “The legends are true. We shadowhunters protect normal humans from demons, like those you saw at Pandemonium. They were shapeshifters.”

 

“Look, meeting you, Isabelle, was fantastic,” Clary said, shaking her head, “but I’m not interested in being part of your supernatural fight club. I just want to find my mom. I’m sorry.”

  


“Don’t be. I get it.” Isabelle said with a sigh, “And you can call me Izzy if you’d prefer. I’ll help you find her.” She clutched one of Clary’s hands. “I promise, I will help you find you mom. I can’t promise it’ll be easy or quick. But we will find her.”

 

“I’m in.” Jace said, standing behind her. “We’re the best chance you’ve got.”

 

“I don’t even know you.” Clary said, disbelieving and confused. She wanted to trust them but she knew nothing about them. They sounded crazy, but was it really any crazier than the past couple of days had been? Did it really sound so far stretched. And Izzy was her soulmate. Could that be faked? It couldn’t in the real world, but who knows here.

 

Clary’s phone rang.

 

She picked it up gratefully, “Simon.” The one person she knew she could count on.

 

“How come you haven’t answered your phone in two days?” He demanded as an opening.

 

“Things have been- I don’t think my life could have been any more confusing.” Clary confessed, slipping off the bed away from the other three and towards the window.

 

“Where are you?” Simon asked. “Cause ‘FIND MY PHONE’ says you’re in an abandoned church. I’m outside, and nope.”

 

Clary dashed over to the window and had never been more glad to see Simon standing on the front lawn. “I see you.”

  
“I don’t see you.”

 

“Give me five minutes and I’ll be out. I have to get dressed.”  


“Dressed? What are you doing undressed in an abandoned church? Is there a meth problem or-”  


“Simon!” Clary cut him off, “I found my soulmate probably it’s- “ Clary spared a glance back at Isabelle, “it’s complicated.”

 

“That’s great! I think. Is that great? Maybe it’s not so great since it’s complicated. Do they have a meth problem?”

  
“Simon,” Clary sighed, “Just give me five minutes okay.” She ended the call and turned to the other three waiting expectantly. “What happened to my clothes?”

 

“Demon Venom.” Jace and Alec said at once, utterly matter of fact.

 

Izzy slipped off the bed. “I left you those.” She gestured to a pile of leather. “Sorry, I’m very comfortable with my body.”  


“You have good reason to be.” Clary said with a smile, skimming over the other girl’s frame. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll deal.”

 

It wasn’t until after she changed that she noticed the design on her neck. “Um- that’s too high to be transference what-”

 

“I drew that.” Jace said.

 

“It’s a healing rune,” Isabelle said, moving forward to where Clary was standing. “It saved your life. I’ve had plenty in my life, some of which you will have had as well. On your own skin they have enormous power. That’s somewhat lessened in transference.”

 

Jace grabbed a blade and followed the two of them out into the corridor. “I saw something behind your friend.”

 

“You’re not killing Simon.” Clary said firmly.

 

“Kill demons, protect humans.” Alec said a few paces behind them. “It’s not hard.”

 

“So why can’t Simon see you people?” Clary asked, as they left the front door.

 

“Glamour Rune.” Alec said at the same time Izzy said:

 

“It’s a glamour.”

 

And Jace said, “Special Rune.”

 

Simon rushed forward the second they got outside. “Clary! What are you wearing?” He shrugged his jacket off. Let me take you home, what’s all this about your soulmate and why do you have ‘help me’ written on your arm?”

 

“I don’t think I have one any more. A home that is.” Clary shrugged the jacket on.

 

“CLARY FAIRCHILD!” A man yelled from behind her. She spun around just in time to see the three shadowhunters tackle him to the ground.

 

“This is for my father.” Jace murmured then plunged his blade into the man’s stomach. Clary gasped, then ran forward.

“Is he dead?” She pointed at the possible corpse.Given by Simon’s gasp behind her the answer was not only yes, but that they deglamorized or whatever on death. “Look can at least one of you make yourself visible so that my best friend doesn’t think I’m going crazy?”

 

Izzy and Jace both sighed and waved their steles over their runes. Alec remained hidden.

 

“Um. What is happening?” Simon asked.

 

“Simon, Izzy my transference partner, Izzy, Simon, my best friend. That’s Jace.”  Clary made the introductions.

 

“We don’t have the luxury right now, everyone back inside.” Jace said.

 

“I’ve seen him before at the police station.” Clary pointed to the corpse and explained about Luke.

 

“He’s here for you Clary,” Isabelle said with a hand on Clary’s arm, “We need to get you inside where you’ll be safe. Your best friend too.”

 

“Who led him straight to us.” Alec pointed out.

 

Simon stammered something about calling Luke. Clary nearly cried.

 

“I need to keep you safe,” Izzy said softly, “I made a promise remember, I won’t break it, but that’s a circle member and we need to plan more. Please Clary, come inside.”

 

“You don’t know these people Clary.” Simon said, “Soulmate or not you know me. I can get help.”

 

Clary looked at the three shadowhunters, one of which Simon couldn’t see, she looked at the center she had just come out of, she looked at the dead body at her feet.

 

Clary shook her head. “No Simon, I don’t think you can.” She offered her hand to Isabelle, who took it.

 

“Come on, I think you need some food.” Izzy said with a smile. “I’ll make Alec cook.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank-you for reading. Kudos/ Comments more than welcome. This is marked as complete for now, but I may decide I like this verse and write more.


End file.
